How To Start Organizing Your Home

The most effective ideas on How to Start Organizing Your Home for the best results.

I’ve received a lot of e-mails from readers throughout the years about not knowing where to start organizing their homes. That’s what we’re going to focus on today. So, where do you start? Ask yourself these questions. What’s bugging you the most? Where does it take you the longest to find what you want? What slows you down in the morning when you’re trying to hurry out of the house? Start there!

First, think about how you want that area to function. If it’s a room, what are you going to be doing in there? If it’s a closet, what needs to be stored in there? If it’s a drawer, what needs to be kept in there because it’s used close by? I would recommend starting small when starting to organize an area. Start with a small closet or a few drawers instead of a whole room. That way you won’t get overwhelmed and just quit. Also deciding how an area needs to function is unique to every household. Decide on what works for you to be able to keep your space organized.

Then take everything out of the area. By taking everything out you have a clean slate and can look at the area from a different perspective. Maybe the reason why the area is disorganized is because storage containers aren’t right or shelves are in the wrong place. Maybe shelves need to be added.

This is a good time to remove things from the area that don’t belong there or that need to be thrown out or donated. If something needs to be repaired, do it or pass it onto someone who will. If you haven’t used something within the last year, you’re probably not going too. It’s just taking up valuable space so get rid of it, so you have room for something you will use. Think of the spaces in you home as prime real estate. Make things earn a spot in your home. Also, while everything’s out of the area clean it well. Wash the drawers or walls, clean the floor and maybe paint the area with a splash of color.

Before you start putting anything back, take an inventory of the items that will be going there. How do they relate to one another? Is this the best place for an item to be kept? What kind of containers do you need? Look around your home for containers. You might already have some that can be used. Shoe boxes covered with pretty fabric or scrapbook paper work great because you can coordinate the colors and patterns.

Once you start putting things back use this rule: Put the most used items right in front of you for easy access. The next most used items below or above that and the least used items can be stored out of reach, on a high shelf.

Once it’s organized use labels. Label, label, label everything. You might know where things go, but do the rest of your family? Believe me, labels work. Kids even like the labels, so they’re more likely to use them. You can even have them help you make them.

By having things organized you’re going to be able to find what you want faster and in the process saving yourself so much time. To keep things organized you’re going to have to put things back where they go instead of just opening the door and throwing something in. It’s not going to stay organized itself. It does take some effort, but it’s worth it if you know where something is and don’t have to hunt for it. I’m all for hide-and-seek but not when I’m trying to get out the door in a hurry.

Once you’ve organized a space in your home it’s time to move onto the next space. I would suggest completing a whole room before moving on. Whether it takes you a day or month really doesn’t matter. Work at your own pace and bask in all your progress. Once you start seeing progress it’s easier to continue through the rest of the house. Good luck and have fun organizing. I’m routing for you!